Fireworks
by HogwartsPrincess89
Summary: Angelina watches George and Fred II and flashes back to the night she finally cracked through his despair over the death of his brother. If she hadn't gotten up the courage to yell at him that night they would never have gotten to where they are now. One-shot, my first crack at a George/Angelina fic.


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

She watched as the man picked up the little boy and spun him around in greeting. "Daddy!" The toddler squealed as the man planted a wet kiss on his chubby cheek. She smiled so wide her face hurt. Merlin did she love her boys. She was so lucky she had them. If she hadn't yelled at him all those years ago they would have never made it here.

*Years earlier*

It was George's turn behind the counter. Angelina watched as a young boy approached him, arms laden with merchandise. "I'll take all this please." "Sure thing." George smiled at him without really seeing him, smile empty of any meaning. "I'm using them on Filch's cat so me and my friends can sneak into his office for things he's confiscated." "You'll get detention if you're caught." George informs the boy without looking up from the scanner.

"Who cares? That's what makes it fun. The thrill of being caught." George shook his head and handed him a bag filled with jokes and pranks. "Stay in school kid." Her heart almost breaks at the phrase. She turns so no one will see the tear that's escaped down her cheek.

She could hardly stand interacting with him. Gone was the George she used to know. In his place was some sullen stranger who never showed any real feeling. Gone were those bright blue eyes full of mischief and daring. Gone was the bright charming smile that covered his whole face. Now there were only dull eyes and a forced tight-lipped smile.

At first staring at him in any way had nearly killed her. The loss of Fred so fresh she couldn't stand the sight of him. He had avoided everyone else but her most of all her so he didn't have to see the pain in her eyes when he wasn't Fred.

She had been a mess. She was still a mess. Her heart still ached for Fred. Her first love, her first dance, first kiss, first **everything**. She had gone from job to job, throwing herself into the work to forget. She had slept with countless men, always leaving before they woke up. She had shut out every one she cared about. And one day she told herself enough. She was a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake and she wasn't going to ruin herself. So she moved in with Katie and went out for drinks with Lee, caught up with Alicia at lunch, watched Oliver play Quidditch.

She knew she had to go see George, see how he was doing. And so she had shown up on his doorstep begging for work because she couldn't keep a job. He had allowed her to hug him with his now unfeeling eyes trained on the world opposite him, pushing away all feeling. And he had given her a job.

Seeing him again made her weaker but stronger. She was moving on and she had faced one of her deepest fears. She sighed, jerking herself back to reality, eyes trained sadly on the redhead turning the sign on Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to closed.

All she wanted was for the old George to be back. She missed him more than words could begin to describe. She missed everything about him and yet he was standing a few feet away. Angelina was not a dumb witch. She knew she hid her emotions almost as much as George. But the difference was she cared about his pain. Who cared about hers?

"Ange?" She looks up and sees vague concern. It makes her seeth. "Are you okay?" "No." She whispered. "I miss you Georgie." "Miss me? I'm right here." She bit her lip wondering whether she should continue down this dangerous road. To hell with it. "No you're not. The George I knew is gone." He raised an eyebrow. "Damn it!" She cursed. "Even now! I'm telling you that the old you is gone and you don't even care. What happened to you George? What happened to the George I know? The one who's every emotion showed through his eyes, the one who cared, who always had time for me, the one who would **never** have told some kid to 'stay in school'. Where's the George who gave me my first bottle of firewhiskey, who meant the things he said? Where's the prankster who turned Roger Davies' hair pink for a week after he forced a kiss onto me? Who is this unfeeling man standing in front of me? What did he do with my Georgie?"

She was breathing hard by the time she finished, eyes on the ground. She raised them and what she saw nearly killed her. There was emotion in his eyes again. There was heartbreak and pain and gut-wrenching sadness. "That George died. He died with Fred." He said as a tear slipped down his cheek. "No." She whispered. She swallowed and drew up all of her courage What she was about to say would hurt him, but it might be the only thing that could make him feel better.

"He didn't die with Fred. You killed him. You tossed him aside in an effort to become someone who feels no pain. You can't go through life like this. It's going to kill you." "Good." The word slipped unbidden from his lips and she almost fell over at the admission. "No." She uttered. "You are not that selfish. Do you know how many people you would hurt if you did that to yourself? Your family would be hurting twice as much as they already are."

"Exactly. They're already hurting because of me. They can't even look at me." "Merlin George are you really that thick? They're hurting because they can't help you through it. They are sad over his death yes, deeply. But they made peace with it. The only thing still hurting them is the way you torture yourself. And they're not the only ones your death would devastate." He let out a harsh chuckle that she had never heard come from his lips before. "Who else could possibly care enough to be devastated?"

"Me!" She shouted at him. A tear slipped down her cheek. "When Fred died I almost didn't make it. But losing you would be so much worse." She looked up to the sky and steeled herself to say the words that had been on the tip of her tongue for months. "I'm sorry Fred. I will always love you but it's time to move on. It's time to own up to the feelings I've been hiding so that I can help myself and George." She was sobbing now. A mixture of relief, shame, guilt and sadness colouring her face.

A firework labelled Fred's fell off of a shelf and exploded, sending a happy face into the air. She took a shaky breath and managed a watery smile. George looked at the firework in shock. "Was that…?" She nodded. "He wants me to tell you my feelings." His eyes met hers and she still saw sadness, but it was joined by a little bit of hope. She stared right into his eyes.

"I am in love with you George Weasley. A part of me always has been, even when he was alive. Fred was everything to me, but there was always some distance between us. We never fully understood each other. Not the way you and I always have. He knew it too, that's why he gave us his blessing. The night you gave me this job I cried the whole night. You were broken and it killed me. I almost couldn't come in here the next day for work."

"But you did." He whispered. "Do you know why I avoided you the most Ange?" "You couldn't stand to see the look in my eyes when I realized you weren't Fred." "No. I had desensitized myself to that already. It was because I have loved you for years. And I was so scared that with Fred gone and my emotions vulnerable you would notice. I was so ashamed at loving you when it should be him here saying these things to you. You were his. So I hid every emotion I had and prayed you wouldn't notice."

"Oh George." She whispered before throwing herself into his arms. She hugged him so tightly she could barely feel her arms. She pulled away slightly, arms around his neck, his hands falling to her waist. And then she kissed him. He resisted at first but she didn't let him pull away and he sank into it. And when she pulled away tears fell down her face because his eyes were back. She was looking at the real George again. And frankly it made her a little weak in the knees.

He swept her into his arms and kissed her with all the passion they had been holding back. There weren't words for the feeling. They were so involved that neither of them noticed as more fireworks went off behind them.

*Back to present*

He looked over at his wife and when their eyes met she knew he knew what she had been thinking about. His eyes sparkled as he dipped her for a kiss. She giggled. And pulled him into a hug when she was standing again. "Thank you for saving me." He whispered into her hair. "Without you I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have you, or Freddie. You gave me a family." She smiled widely at him. "I'm glad you think so, because there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

He quirked an eyebrow. "What's that?" "In about nine months our family's going to get bigger." His eyes crinkled with joy, smile stretched across his whole face. He spun her through the air and it was her turn to squeal. He kissed her and she had never been happier.


End file.
